ACTIVITIES FOR A RAINY DAY IN NORTH NORFOLK
LUXURY HOLIDAY HOME
South Creake · North Norfolk
North Norfolk, located in the East of England, is a stunning area filled with natural beauty. From the picturesque coastal towns to the stunning marshes, the landscape and heritage sites offer plenty to explore. However, the unpredictable weather can put a damper on outdoor activities. But don’t worry, North Norfolk has plenty of fun and exciting indoor activities to offer, even in rainy weather. On a rainy day, you might want to sit back in front of the fire place at The Old Chequers. However, if you're up for a bit of adventuring and fun, there are plenty of indoor activities to try in the area. From the Sea Life Aquarium in Hunstanton to the RAF Air Defence Radar Museum, there are plenty of fun-filled activities to keep you entertained. Take the opportunity to explore North Norfolk’s attractions, rain or shine.
A RAINY DAY IN NORTH NORFOLK
A range of activities for any weather
Enjoy pot painting and ceramic crafts at Mable's in Burnham Overy. Visitors can choose an item from their range of blank pottery pieces, such as a bedroom door plaque, coffee mugs, bowls, and various figurines, and creating their own unique design with the provided materials. Paints, brushes, stamps, tools, and stencils are all provided for getting creative with pot painting. If you don't fancy painting, try Decopatch. Select Decopatch papers from a wide range of designs and colours to cut and apply to your pieces, to create unique designs on your decorative items. Pop into their traditional sweet shop for a sweet treat, of browse the card collection at the shop. Mable's Paint Pot is oven every day during the Spring and Summer, as well as over school holidays.
Fakenham Superbowl is another modern entertainment venue with plenty of fun activities to offer. With 10-pin bowling lanes, pool tables, arcade games, and a laser tag arena, it's perfect for a day out with friends or family, especially with older children. The bowling lanes feature rolling ramps and pop up gutter guards to help kids learn with some assistance. You can enjoy food and drinks at the restaurant, and let the kids play in the 3-level soft play area while you're there. Prices start from £4 per game per person, and they are open from 11am Thursday to Sunday during school term, and every day during school holidays.
Escape rooms have become increasingly popular in recent years, and the Fakenham Escape Rooms are no exception. They offer a range of exciting themes that require problem-solving skills and teamwork. The escape rooms can be enjoyed by groups of two to six people, making it a great activity for a fun day out with friends. The room themes include prison cells, dungeons, and space, and each includes its own variety of puzzles and riddles to solve. You can choose to receive hints, or opt to try the experience with no hints like the pros. Whichever you choose, you can try to beat the completion time of the current winners on the leader boards. The Escape Rooms are open daily from 11am to 10pm, and prices start form £15 per person for a 6-person team, to £20 per person for 2 people on a team.
Hootz House, at Pensthorpe, features a nature-themed indoor play area with large treehouses and rope bridges. Kids can enjoy hours of fun and climbing on the towers and slides. There is also a soft play area for smaller kids and toddlers. The coffee shop inside Hootz House serves hot drinks, cakes, and snacks, while the Courtyard Cafe serves a wider variety of food. Pensthorpe has plenty of outdoor activities to enjoy when the weather is on your side, such as gardens, outdoor play areas, and nature trails through the park. They are open from 10am every day and entry fees to the park are £13.95 for kids and £14.95 for adults. Pensthorpe has recently introduced a "Rainy Day Guarantee", which you can read about on their website.
The kids will love this farm themed indoor play house, located in the sunny resort village of Heacham. Children can enjoy climbing towers, various slides, rock climbing, play inside the miniature barn, and have hours of fun in the giant ball maze. There is also a designated toddler play area, with age appropriate equipment including a low ropes adventure course and sensory equipment for 2 to 4 year olds. Adults can relax in the cafe, which serves delicious food by a local celebrity chef from The Orange Tree, and is fitted with large screen TVs, comfy sofas, and free wifi. Prices for the play area range from £3.95 to £7.95, depending on the time of year and the child's age, and adults pay £2.95. Farmer Fred's Play Barn is open every day from 9:30 am.
Heacham
20 minutes' drive
If you're looking for something fun to do with the family, the Sea Life Aquarium in Hunstanton is the perfect option. It's home to a variety of marine creatures and features interactive displays and talks. From penguins to sharks, you can observe a wide range of sea life up close. The aquarium is home to over 2,000 sea animals and rainforest creatures, including piranhas, otters, lizards, and snakes. Their dedicated seal rescue hospital rehabilitates orphaned seal pups and releases them back into the wild. You can learn more about the seal rescue program when you visit. The feeding times are a must-see, and the centre also features an underwater tunnel and a rockpool experience. Entry tickets start from £16 per person, and the aquarium is open from either 10am or 11am daily, depending on the time of year.
Take a trip through the stunning Norfolk coast on a steam train. The "Poppy Line" runs between Holt, Weybourne, and Sheringham, and each station has its own souvenir shop and buffet. The journey will take you to places of interest, including Kelling Heath and Sheringham Park. Visit the William Marriot Museum at Holt station, see model trains, learn about the railway’s history, see the signal box, and children can enjoy the activity carriage. You can also book a railway experience or dining train, for something extra. View the timetable on their website for open days and times, as well as upcoming special events.
Create your own unique items to treasure forever. Doodle Pots offers ceramic painting fun for the whole family, with plenty of colours and stencils to choose from and various pottery items to paint. Pick an interesting creation to paint from their wide variety of pottery designs – maybe a castle or a unicorn, a piggy bank or a coffee mug – and have fun with stencils and sponge stamps. Their studio assistants are there to assist you with paints, tips, and ideas, so don't fret if you're not a natural artist. They are open Tuesday to Saturday from 10am. The studio fee is £4 per person and each item is individually priced, starting at £5.
Alive Oasis is a fitness and leisure centre, open to members and visitors. They offer a range of holiday activities that cater to kids, including trampolining, go-karts, swimming classes, cricket, and roller disco. These activities need to be booked in advance, as limited spaces are available. The centre offers a range of activities and facilities for all ages, such as bowls, roller skating, squash, table tennis, and swimming. Facilities can be booked individually, and prices are available on their website. Kids can also enjoy the indoor soft play, with a 4-storey play frame, spiral slides, a ball cannon arena, climbing frames, and a sky glide ride. Smaller children can play safely in the toddler area, with shape sorters, bumpy slides, and an interactive ball boggler. The centre is open form 7am on week days and 7:30am on Saturdays and Sundays.
If you're into creepy crawlies, this one is for you. Visit the largest invertebrate zoo in the UK to see (and hold) various exotic insects, millipedes, scorpions, spiders, and tarantulas. Book a private tour to learn more about the hundreds of small animals, or a handling experience if you'd like to get up close. The butterfly themed Chrysalis Café serves breakfast, cakes, and lunch, and they also have a souvenir shop. The Invertebrate Park is open from 8:30am on Wednesday through Sunday, and every day during school holidays.
The Muckleburgh Collection is named after Muckleburgh Hill where former Royal Artillery Anti-Aircraft training camp was situated. The Collection includes over 120 vehicles, tanks, and guns, as well as many other exhibits including uniforms, photographs, and Air and Sea Rescue exhibits. Many of the tanks and armoured vehicles are still in working condition, and you can even drive one of the tanks (at a cost of £150). The heart of the museum is the NAAFI building, which remains standing while nearly 200 other irreparably damaged buildings were demolished in the 1980s. The base has a café and shop, as well as a picnic area. The museum is open daily from 1 April to 29 October 2023 and entry costs £12 per adult and £8 for kids.
Cromer is an iconic coastal town in North Norfolk and its museum is the perfect place to explore the history of this town, including its days as a Victorian seaside resort. Cromer is renowned as a geological area, and the museum showcases a large collection of fossils found in Norfolk. Among these, is Britain’s oldest and most complete mammoth fossil and the cast of a Mosasaur skull, one of the reptilian creatures that roamed the seas which covered Norfolk millions of years ago. With interactive exhibits and workshops, the museum is perfect for rainy days and history enthusiasts. Explore a Victorian fisherman’s cottage as it looked in the 19th century and marvel at photographs of North Norfolk fishermen. The museum is closed for the winter, opening again on 1 April 2023, and entry is priced at £4 per child and £4.60 per adult. Nearby, there is also the Henry Blogg Museum, which tells the story of the most decorated lifeboatman in RNLI history and how his crew saved over 873 lives.
Wroxham Miniature Worlds is the largest indoor modelling attraction in the UK, featuring model railways, a city built from Lego bricks, model boats, flight and train simulators, and more. There is a large collection of vintage toys from past decades and railway layouts that you can drive yourself. The whole family can enjoy the model trains and interactive simulators at this unique attraction in Norfolk, and adults may become nostalgic at the action figures, toys, and games they may remember from their childhood. The cafe sells snacks and there is also a toy shop and model shop where you can purchase a souvenir. They are open form 10am on every day from June to October, and on selected days during other months, so be sure to check their open days before you visit.
High Altitude features a large trampoline court and an inflatable assault course with bash pillars, spinning tops, and slides. All ages being welcome on the inflatables, so theres no need for the adults to sit this one out. They offer dedicated time slots for parents with toddlers, during which toddlers can enjoy the park and age appropriate activities in a safe environment, priced at £5.50 per toddler and £2.50 per adult. The cafe serves lunch and snacks. Admission is £8.95 per person, but they often run discounts. View current offers and the timetable for open times on their website.
The magnificent castle in Norwich is well worth a visit and a great place to go on a rainy day. Built more than 900 years ago by the Normans as a Royal Palace, this popular Norfolk landmark appeals to all ages and is home to stunning collections in natural history, regimental history, archaeology, fine art, and more. Visit the castle’s museum and art gallery, go on a tour of the dungeons and enjoy some lunch in the café. The exhibitions include Egyptian collections, Romans Gallery, Art Galleries, Royal Norfolk Regimental collections, Anglo Saxon and Viking Gallery, and more. The castle is open to visitors form 10am, Monday to Saturday, and 1pm on Sundays. Please note that the Castle is currently undergoing renovations, and some areas may not be accessible during the construction phase.
Norwich Cathedral is an iconic building in the city of Norwich and a must-see for architecture and history lovers. The cathedral offers guided tours and exhibitions, which help to explain its significance in the city and the region. Explore the beautiful architecture and fascinating history of the most complete Norman Cathedral in England, considered one of the finest examples of Romanesque architecture. Visitors can grab a light lunch or coffee and cake at the café and stop by the gift shop to pick up memerobilia. Entry is fee and the cathedral is open daily from 7:30am to 6:30 pm.
A real radar station, located in the former RAF Neatishead. The RAF Air Defence Radar Museum is a great place to explore the history of the Royal Air Force’s role in air defence. The museum is home to a variety of interactive exhibits and displays, as well as a simulator. The museum displays a variety of artefacts and visitors can learn about the early development of radar and the role of radar in the Cold War, as well as see an original Cold War Operations Room. Visitors can even sit in a Jaguar and Tornado cockpit. This is the perfect place for a family day out or an outing with military history enthusiasts. The museum also features a cafe and gift shop.